Tim McGraw: The Brothers of the Sun Tour in Nashville

Click here for a photo gallery from the Brothers of the Sun concert, featuring Tim McGraw, at LP Field in Nashville on Saturday (Photo: Jae S. Lee /The Tennessean)

All that the crowd of almost 50,000 fans could see leading up to Tim McGraw’s hour-and-a-half hit parade during The Brothers of the Sun Tour was a McGraw’s legs clad in white jeans and dark cowboy boots walking to the stage projected on the tall screens on each side of the stage.

McGraw did very little talking the first half of his set at LP Field Saturday night, instead opting to perform hit after hit spanning his two-decade career.

The singer kicked things off with “Felt Good on My Lips,” “Down on the Farm” and “Last Dollar (Fly Away),” which showed off his touring band’s tight harmonies.

McGraw shared “Mexicoma,” the first new song in his set, with lyrics including: “I’m sitting here stoned … nobody knows my name and that’s alright with me.”

“Good evening,” the singer told the crowd near the 45-minute mark. “It’s good to be home in Nashville, Tenn. My name is Tim McGraw. Welcome to The Brothers of the Sun Tour. We’re going to take you back a few years. If you remember the words, help me out.”
He followed up with “Just to See You Smile.”

McGraw got serious for a moment introducing “Better Than I Used to Be,” saying: “You don’t mean to be a (jerk) but sometimes you are. I know I’ve been a (jerk) sometimes but you always wake up every morning and try to put your best foot forward everyday and be the best person you can be. That’s what this song is all about.”

Then he told the audience he was going to do “something special,” setting up what would be his set’s defining moment. McGraw began his duet with wife Faith Hill, “I Need You,” solo. Hill then joined McGraw to perform the ballad, which earned the largest applause of the night so far.

The couple sang facing each other and at the end of the song, Hill commented: “You look nice in that white,” before leaving the stage.

McGraw declared, “My wife,” putting his arm in the air and then pounding his chest.

“You all ready for some country music this evening?” he asked the audience before singing “Back When,” which turned into the loudest sing-along of the night.

He closed his set, as the sun went down, with “Southern Voice” and “Live Like You Were Dying.”

McGraw’s encore kicked off with an a capella version of “The Cowboy in Me,” and included “I Like It, I Love It.” He also welcomed Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on stage to throw a few footballs into the crowd.

McGraw closed his set with new song “Truck Yeah,” about, you guessed it, trucks.